Health and Medicine

80% of Oregonians 18 and older have received at least one dose of the COVID vaccine

Oregon Public Broadcasting | By Jeff Thompson

Published October 28, 2021 at 4:41 PM PDT

COVID-19 vaccine preparation at a drive-thru vaccination clinic at Portland International Airport, April 9, 2021.

State health officials said Thursday that 80 percent of Oregonians who are 18 or older have now had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. But health experts estimate it's still well below the level needed to reach 'herd immunity' and stop viral transmission altogether.

State health officials said Thursday that 80 percent of Oregonians who are 18 or older have now had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

They say it’s an important milestone. But health experts estimate it’s still well below the level needed to reach ‘herd immunity’ and stop viral transmission altogether.

Including those 12 and older, 63 percent of eligible Oregon residents have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. That puts Oregon in 12th place nationwide.

COVID-19 cases and deaths continue to go down in Oregon. But hospitalizations did go up last week, for the first time in about two months. Most hospitals throughout the state are still at or near full capacity.

The Oregon Health Authority says getting more people vaccinated is the state’s best way out of this pandemic. Officials are urging people who are unvaccinated to get immunized as soon as possible.